I heard a quote the other day that made me smile. “Marriage
is like a walk in the park – Jurassic Park!!!” Lol, how true is that!?!
My husband, Ed, and I have spent almost 26 years hurtling the dinosaurs of life
together (31 if you add in our dating years). We are as opposite as can be. I
am a city mouse, raised by a full of life, dramatic, hardworking single mom. My
idea of wildlife was the occasional squirrel. I was (was?) un-athletic, book smart,
and a good girl. I moved often growing up and have a knack for conforming to my
environment and am motivated by the desire to please. Our family plus my newly
acquired father moved to Maine when I was 14. That is where I met the dark,
handsome, and very confident Ed. It was infatuation at first sight for the both
of us. Ed, was not a lover of school, but loved the outdoors and all things
woodsy. He was also very athletic, strong, and opinionated and had an attitude.
He didn’t seem to care what anyone thought and I loved his rebellious persona. Think
of us as Baby and Johnny from Dirty Dancing - but without the dancing, or the
lake, or the premarital behavior – Ok, we were really nothing like Dirty
Dancing. But, it was still very romantic. Of course, once I got to really know
him, I discovered this sweet and sappy side of Ed. And he quickly learned that
I am not always as nice as I like to appear.
Ed had always been drawn to law enforcement and even as a
young man had a clear sense of right and wrong. This strength of character has
led him from being part of Security Forces in the Air Force, to a Winston-Salem
Police Officer, to the Security Director for Calvary Baptist Church, to
training police officers in Iraq, to Assistant VP of Corporate Security for
Bank of America to now as a Corrections Officer for the Forsyth County
Sheriff’s Dept. Whew! What a varied, yet cohesive career over the past 26
years! I could and probably will do a whole blog on Ed’s career journey. Ed has
seen just about every side of human nature that there is to see. It amazes me
that he can daily shod off most of what he sees and experiences at the
threshold of our front door and is able to maintain the mostly kind and squishy
Ed that his family and friends know him to be.
If you know me well, or have read a previous blog, you are
probably wondering how our marriage survives with how high-risk Ed’s career
path has been mixed with my anxiety issues and naïve nature. Well, first of
all, I feel being an officers spouse (or a fireman’s spouse, an EMT’s, etc.) is
a calling. And I am proud of my role
as his supporter. I also believe very strongly in Ed’s personal calling and the
need for the greater good. I also trust Ed completely and I believe that Ed is
safer in the will of God than even in a bubble wrapped room outside of it.
All of those statements are true, completely – 100%. But let me share a little secret. Here are
also some real life, not so proud of way that I cope: 1) I have no memory. None
- think a very tall Dory. So, even if Ed tells me a very traumatic story,
chances are, it will be forgotten in a few days. 2) I also have a very short
attention span, so often when Ed is telling me stuff (ok, total transparency
here), if he doesn’t tell me quickly, my mind is already wandering. Oh, another
thing is 3) yes, I have anxiety, but not usually about the big important things.
The fact that Ed risks his life every day? No problem! Our daughter is moving off
to Texas? No sweat!! But, get me thinking about a zombie apocalypse, getting
lost, driving off a bridge, or my dogs missing me if I am gone too long –
forget about it! Yes, this makes for a very confused woman, but it helps me
cope with my husband’s unusual schedule and work environment.
There is one thing that I confess that I have a hard time
coping with though. And that is the perception that some people have of Law
Enforcement. If you want to see me lose the nice girl, just start talking about
police and prejudice. Is there prejudice on the force? Absolutely! I bet there
is prejudice where you work too. Are there dirty cops? Unfortunately, yes. I
wish there was a way to ensure that every sworn officer always held him/herself
to the highest standard. But just like there are bad apples in teaching, the
medical field, churches, business offices, in every career – there will be
officers undeserving of the badge. But, for anyone to think for a half minute
that someone would go into law enforcement to target a select group of people
is ridiculous. These civil servants give up sleep, family time, finances,
security, safety, holidays and respect to make sure that the law of the land is
upheld. Just imagine if every job was like law enforcement. Imagine knowing you
were a target. If not of personal danger, than of disrespect. What if because
of where you worked that you couldn’t have your home number listed or address
printed anywhere for protection of your loved ones? That you had to have a
camera on you at all times to record your every interaction? How would you deal
with all that? And, then after a 12 hour shift, possible a rotating,
alternating shift like Ed’s is, you need to come home and play with your kids,
mow the lawn, visit your parents and go to church. You have seen sin in every
form possible and yet you need to be the perfect officer at work and then
perfectly normal at home. This is why it is a calling. To think that anyone
would subject themselves to these standards for any sort of wrong motive is
insulting. And I strongly believe that if and when an officer can’t live up to
these almost impossible standards, then he should be moved to a different area.
Out of respect for him and for what he represents.
Thank you for reading my blog and thank you for praying for the men
and women in blue. Thank you for praying for their families as well. Every life matters. Every life deserves respect. I have been
blown away with the stories Ed has told me of his interaction in the jail over
the past 3 years. Yes, since it is me, he tells me in condensed versions, but I
love hearing his heart and respect for the inmates. To quote Martin Luther King
– “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stand in moments of comfort
and convenience, but where he stand at times of challenge and controversy”. I
am proud that my man stand on the thin blue line. Below are some sobering statistics regarding law enforcement officers. These brave men and women are some of our countries greatest treasures -
There
are more than 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers now serving in the
United States, which is the highest figure ever. About 12 percent of
those are female.
Crime
fighting has taken its toll. Since the first recorded police death in 1791,
there have been over 20,000 law enforcement officers killed in the line
of duty. Currently, there are 20,789 names engraved on the walls of the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
A
total of 1,439 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during
the past 10 years, an average of one death every 61 hours or 144
per year. There were 123 law enforcement officers killed in the line of
duty in 2015.
There
have been 15,725 assaults against law enforcement officers in 2014,
resulting in 13,824 injuries.
New
York City has lost more officers in the line of duty than any other department,
with 705 deaths. Texas has lost 1,682 officers, more than any
other state. The state with the fewest deaths is Vermont, with 23.
There
are 1,102 federal officers listed on the Memorial, as well as 668 correctional
officers and 36 military law enforcement officers.
Always Sincerely,
Shannan
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